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Proposed Bill Aims to Keep Call Center Jobs in the US

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August 23, 2012

By Ashok Bindra
TMCnet Contributor

Medical bill processing jobs, comprising bill collections, transcription and coding, in the healthcare industry are often outsourced to companies whose primary activity is carrying out those services for a lower price. The rationale here is that low cost outsourcing will enable healthcare facilities to provide cheaper services, meaning that medical treatment becomes more accessible to patients, and the healthcare organizations become profitable.

However, when services are outsourced to offshore companies, Americans lose their jobs to foreign workers. A report indicates that companies reaping benefits from outsourcing are the healthcare organizations and the medical collection agencies or other third-party service providers contracted to do the work.

In order to prevent this from happening, Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) are backing a bill that will aim is to keep call center jobs in the U.S., according to Meaningful Use Network.

The report quotes Senator Casey from a speech in Pennsylvania, referring to a portion of the bill which would limit the government from giving out federal grants and loans to companies who send call center work offshore. Casey said, “Companies that outsource their call centers overseas shouldn’t see the benefits of government grants and loans.”

As per this report, the bill also proposes to create a list of companies who send jobs to other countries; and it would require federal agencies to award contracts to businesses that do not appear on that list. “Aside from requiring federal agencies to give preference to companies whose employees are based within the U.S., the bill would also require companies to let callers know when their calls are being transferred overseas,” stated the report.

Similarly, at an event in Cleveland, Senator Brown talked about rewarding American workers and American companies that remain loyal by creating jobs in their communities.

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